Three Health Benefits of Having a Dog

Three Health Benefits of Having a Dog

Posted: Sep 04, 2016

Dogs can provide a variety of both mental and physical health benefits to their owners. Their unconditional love helps owners with loneliness, anxiety, depression, insecurity and other mental stresses. The responsibility for owning a dog also gives your day structure and additional meaning. Physically, dogs can be a handful. Whether it’s taking your dog on walks, cleaning up their mess, feeding them, taking them to the groomers, or any other dog management related tasks, all these things help you be more active than you might be without a dog. Here are three health benefits of owning a dog.

Dogs Can Have a Calming Effect

Studies have shown that dog owners typically have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets. Playing with your dog releases serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax a person’s body.

Dogs Help Cure Loneliness

Dogs can help owners be more social in a variety of ways. They provide a companion for people when they are home alone, and they also help them get out of the house. You can take your dog for walks or go to the local park where you’ll be around other people

Dogs are Good for Children

Growing up can be difficult. Dogs can help a child’s self-image with their unconditional love. They also never criticize or condemn, so they provide a nice blanket of comfort after stressful encounters with a child’s figures of authority.